Category: All Things CEDAM

Before Stevie Chilcote started her year of Service as a VISTA Leader, CEDAM’s sole AmeriCorps program was the Michigan Financial Opportunity Corps (MFOC), run by Rachel Diskin. From running the MFOC and working closely with the Michigan Rural Council, it was realized that there was a need for capacity building in rural nonprofit organizations. In...

Twenty dedicated Michiganders are coming to the end of their service year with the Michigan Financial Opportunity Corps (MFOC) AmeriCorps program, a program hosted by CEDAM. Even though their service terms are only a year, the impacts the members have made on Michigan communities, the organizations at which they serve and the individuals they’ve assisted,...

“Housing matters. We contend that if we don’t get housing right, nothing else works,” said Habitat for Humanity Michigan Executive Director, Sandy Pearson, in her opening speech for the How Housing Changed My Life rally and storytelling event. The event, held on July 26, 2017, brought organizations, community members and those who have experienced homelessness...

Milan, pronounced MY-lan (not like Italy’s Mi-LAN) is a small town in Southeast Michigan with a lot of charm, and as it was quickly found, a lot of spirit. In 2015 the Michigan Rural Council (MRC), a CEDAM program, went to Milan and conducted a community assessment. These assessments allow rural communities to affordably identify...

If you’re an organization helping residents in Michigan further their financial capability, you know that combining finances and fun can be tricky. However, it doesn’t have to be! Let CEDAM help you host an engaging Show Me the Money Day event in your community. What is Show Me the Money Day? Show Me The Money Day is a...

We are excited to welcome Brian Rakovitis, our new manager of financial empowerment initiatives, to the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM) team! Rakovitis has made his way back to CEDAM after starting as an AmeriCorps member through us. He served at United Way of Washtenaw County on the previously active Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Corps. After his...

Written by Chad Coffman Financial troubles can strike suddenly. An unexpected expense, sudden job loss or medical emergency can make it hard for a family to pay its mortgage, property taxes or condominium fees. Fortunately, the statewide Step Forward Michigan program can help homeowners stay in their homes by giving them the money they need...

AmeriCorps members get things done. Each year more than 80,000 people serve their communities across the country. Acting as catalysts for community progress, they’re identifying problems and working toward solutions. Now is your chance to lead: CEDAM is recruiting for 23 available AmeriCorps positions in Michigan that begin in late summer 2017. AmeriCorps, founded in...

On Friday, June 16, practitioners throughout Michigan gathered in Lansing to discuss the state of their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Programs at the Michigan Economic Impact Coalition’s (MEIC) annual Learning Exchange. The 2017 filing season came with both new and recurring challenges: new filing software (TaxSlayer), volunteer recruitment/retention and building programs with low capacity....

The last several months have seen a whirlwind of political activity with the talk of tax reform, proposed elimination of pretty much every program that supports the work of community economic development practitioners across our great state and the discussion of elimination of nearly every safety net that we have in place to help low-...